This inverter …. is going in for the last time, I HOPE! Apparently there is nothing wrong with the inverter. This leaves the wiring in my boat. If this doesn’t work, I am going inverterless! Stay tuned!
That is the question I am “battling” with…
I have been following a few women who are solo sailing and they are just like me… some have racing background but some had never dropped an anchor on their own before they left North America to solo sailaround the world. I may not have raced but I have gained plenty of cruising experience in the past ten years…. is it just a matter of going for it or is there more to it than that?
I’ve been feeling so much lighter and wondering why? I can’t quite figure it out…. but here are some changes to my life ….I am not scheduling activities, people or events into my daily life anymore. I am not spending money on stuff I don’t need other than coffee out once in a while, or a bottle of wine if company arrives. I have no real plans other than sailing towards Scandinavia..To many, this may sound overwhelming and a huge undertaking, however, this seems to just unfold at an easy and comfortable pace. Maybe it is the pace that changes everything… PACE!
My everyday is so different than ever before. I have experienced more peace day to day, I am relaxed and at ease. Some might wonder if I ever get bored. So far, I have not experienced boredom. I go for walks, do yoga on the beach, write, read, bake, cook, do projects on the boat, see sailing folks…. There is always lots to do! But never do I feel stressed about getting it done!
I feel joy in everything I do now. I appreciate the small things… cliche’ perhaps but I didn’t notice them before….before I started to sail and before I left Nanaimo. Every day I spend away from my old life, I find more and more joy in the things I do, from baking daily bread to changing the oil on the engine. Perhaps, this is, partly, being retired. But I am not so sure I would feel this way if I had stayed …. I did make a choice to retire early, sell my home, buy a boat and leave my hometown of 25 years. I decided to live a different life than most and it has proven to be the best thing I could ever have done for me, at this time in my life.
I never felt well connected to many people. I never felt well connected to my job. I never felt well connected to my community. I looked for connection but never quite found what I was looking for. I feel connected to what I do now! I feel connected to my learning. I feel connected to my journey and future. I feel connected to myself on a deeper level. And with that comes confidence.
I am feeling more confident being away from a culture that silently and subtlely (and at times blatantly) doubt women (as a whole) as capable outside of the realm of (gender) traditional activities. Confidence!
I do not miss any of the “things” I sold or gave away. I have a small home, just enough clothing, some items from my past and just enough food in a very small fridge. I am forced to be creative. Simplicity!
Pace. Learning. Joy. Confidence. Simplicity.
Now the planning starts for the passage to French Polynesia.
It is getting close to leaving La Paz again! The boat is almost ready! I am just waiting for a genoa sail to be picked up. I also have friends visiting from Nanaimo, BC. In the meantime I will keep watching the amazing sunrises and sunsets, splice some rope and bake more bread!
I’ve only done this once before, on a boat, so let’s see if I remember how to! My old Volvo was easy!
Tomorrow, I’ll tackle the impeller, which will be a first for me! Any suggestions?
I woke up this morning and decided to go for a walk before the wind picked up! The trail turned out to be a meandering path through cacti and boulders up an old riverbed!
After the morning walk, Sarantium sailed out of Ensenada Grande and right away was sailing at 7.5 knots! We kept the wind on broad reach for two hours and then gibed. Sarantium pointed straight into La Paz and after four hours we dropped the sails and motored into the long channel until we dropped anchor. What a day on the water. Today might have been the best sail EVER!
Now it is time to reprovision and get ready to explore the rest of Baja and Sea of Cortez, before hauling out in Gyaumus on February 24th. I am starting to feel like I am running out of time as the winds will be on our nose, sailing north from here. It is only about 100 nmiles to Loretto from here, however the northwest winds will be strong and by the time we get there we will have sailed 400 nmiles probably. We might have to leave earlier than planned to make our haul out date. After, haul out on February 24th, we continue to sail south towards Mazatlan and PV. From PV we sail to French Polynesia!
Sailaway Sarantium 